Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Queen of Conflict Resolution and Communication Coach

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Be in Charge When Bullies at Work Attack You or Others

The title is a bold one.  The more research I do on bullies at work, the more convinced I am that we need to deal with these mean-spirited people.  I work with some leaders who admit that they are intimidated by bullies at work and just ignore them.  This occurs more than you may think.  Most people let bullies get away with their rude and dangerous behavior because it’s too risky to confront them.  I get this!  I really do.  I also know how important it is for me to continue to provide training to leaders on this critical matter.

Please let me know which of the strategies below speak to you.

Strategy #1 on Bullies at Work:  Understand What Makes Bullies Tick

  • Bullies reject kind words of collaboration
  • They want to win – not get along with their victims
  • They intentionally hurt others
  • Bullies believe in the philosophy:  It’s my way or the highway

Strategy #2 on Bullies at Work:  Bullies Pursue Their Targetsbullies at work

  • Bullies admire those who stand up to them
  • Bullies push to see how much you can take
  • People who bully the bully get respect

Strategy #3 on Bullies at Work:  Stop Being a Victim

  • Be aware that the bully may get angry when you speak up
  • Decide if it’s worth the risk to stand up for yourself
  • Prepare a response to address the bully if he or she calls you – or others humiliating names

Strategy #4 on Bullies at Work:  The Power is Yours if You are a Leader bullies at work

  • It’s your responsibility to speak up when a bully takes over a meeting
  • Suffering in silence makes things worse
  • You are a role model to your team and will earn their respect when you stop bullies from intimidating others

Let’s Get Real

A friend of mine told me that she didn’t go to her 30th high school reunion because she was the target of several bullies.  She is now a top-level leader and does an excellent job stopping bullies at work from intimidating others.  She is also human and still has scars from her high school days.

I’ve personally dealt with bullies in my adult life.  I’ve used each strategy that I’ve written about in these articles.  It was difficult to recognize that I was playing victim to these bullies at work.  Once I did, things changed immediately.

There you have it – be in charge when a bully attacks.  Stay tuned, I have more to share in future articles.

I want to hear from you

Add a comment to my blog on a bully at work who still controls you or others.  How can you stop him or her from intimating others?  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work HERE.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company. Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.  Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

 

This is Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Have a great week.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

P.S. Read an article on Is There A Bully at Work Who Makes Your Life Miserable? HERE

 

 

 

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5 Team Building Strategies to Keep Your Star Employees Motivated

Team building strategies are a very important part of any leader’s tool box.  The challenge comes when star employees leave the company.  Many of my clients have told me that they left jobs because they didn’t feel part of the team.  They couldn’t make decisions without having to go through many layers in the company.  They didn’t get support when they made smart mistakes and poor performance was not addressed.

Do these questions sound familiar?

How can I encourage people to make decisions when management is absent?
How can I encourage calculated risks so our company stays current?
How can we act as a team, instead of individuals striving for separate goals?

The answer is in one word…MOTIVATION. Motivation gives confidence, strength, and trust in your own decisions. Successful businesses know the impact of a motivated team.

Learn the 5 P’s of motivation to support dedicated people who’ll bring long-lasting results:

Team Building Strategies #1:  Permission…to make decisions and take risks.

Help people see how they’re setting up roadblocks to their success. You may hear people saying “I’m not ready yet”, or “I don’t know enough”. If I waited until I was ready to make that perfect keynote speech, I’d still be waiting!  Encourage calculated risks! These positive statements need to become standard in your workplace:

“Everyone fears new things when they are in unfamiliar territory.”
“The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.”
“There are three kinds of people – those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those who wondered what happened!”

Team Building Strategies #2:  Protection…even if they make a mistake.

Make sure the penalty for failure is not greater than the penalty for doing nothing. Professional growth is all about learning from our mistakes.  Make sure you stand by your team, even when they fail. If they make a mistake, ask this very important question, “What did you learn, and how would you handle it differently if this situation came up again?”  Share mistakes that you made in order to be transparent and let them know what you learned about the mistake.  

Team Building Strategies #3:  Purpose… Know the company’s goals and answers to the typical conflicts that arise.

Challenge your team by asking why and why not. This forces constant improvement.  Recognize market changes. Encourage problem-solving and brainstorming. Technology is expanding at an amazing rate, making some present techniques obsolete. Look at trends and then be ready.  Listen when your team speaks about products or processes that are not working anymore.  This seems so obvious.  My clients have left companies when leadership was stuck in the status quo and their egos.  They knew the company was sinking before leadership saw it coming.

Team Building Strategies #4:  Proficiency… Know the difference between complacency and excellence.

Encourage people to think of themselves as the owners of their own careers. Help them learn features and benefits of every product and service in the company.  Train people to listen to the client’s needs. Role play with common objections, so staff is prepared when they’re rejected. This way, everyone will be more prepared.  Make sure to be consistent and discipline or train team members who are not doing their job.  Your star employees are watching when leaders let complacency and mediocrity rule the culture.

Team Building Strategies # 5:  Pay-off… Appreciate and recognize superior work.

All people have a basic need for appreciation. Let your team know the success of the business is partly due to their efforts and achievements.  Star employees need to know that their opinion and efforts are making a difference.  Make sure to concentrate on them or else they will leave and find a company with a better culture.

When you use the 5 P’s of motivation you’ll see an increase in morale, productivity, retention, and success. These are my tried and true methods – experiment with your own, then sit back and enjoy the fabulous results!

I want to hear from you!
CLICK HERE to send me your questions about how you motivate your team.  What is your experience keeping star employees from leaving?

Do You Want to See How Your Communication Impacts Your Success at Work?
CLICK HERE to take the easy and fun Communicate with Impact Quiz. I will send your results immediately and you will learn more about setting boundaries to be more effective at work and in your life. Sound good?
Here’s the LINK

Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Communication Strategist and Coach

You can learn how to improve your leadership skills by communicating your important message to both star employees and those who keep you up at night! 🙂  I will do whatever it takes to help you improve your quality of life.

VISIT our Team Building Consultant Services page to see how we can help your team become even more successful.

Feel free to call me (800.713.1926) concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, and on-line professional growth coaching.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

See YOU Next Week.

P.S.  Do you want more information about keeping your star employees motivated?
CLICK HERE to read my article on How to Deal with Mediocrity at work

VISIT our Knowledge Base on Team Building for more articles and podcasts

 

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Are People Rude or Selfish if They are Constantly Late?

clock and hammer bigI recently shared a cartoon from my friend on Facebook that received quite a “buzz.”  NO YOU ARE NOT RUNNING LATE, YOU ARE RUDE!

Here are some of the comments that I received from the post:

  • I will not tolerate someone being late, not my style.
  • I was going to comment on your post, but I was running late.  (someone with a sense of humor)
  • Late drives me nuts.
  • We need to share this with others who need to read it.
  • Maybe the selfish ones are those who don’t care that things happen beyond our control.  Friendship is far more important than a few minutes in time.

This last comment brought on even more passionate comments about the rudeness of others. Obviously if someone is late once in a while that is understandable.  This happens to all of us. The people who I am describing in this post are the ones who are chronic and are late all of the time. … [Continue reading]

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Discover Important Tips Before Accepting a Promotion

i'm the bossRecently I have had some interesting “side bar” discussions  from people in my Leadership workshops.  Participants come up to me on breaks and the conversations go like this:

“Joyce I’m glad that I received a promotion because I’m making more money,  BUT…

  • “I haven’t received any training for this new position and I’m way out of my league.”
  • “I didn’t know that I was going to be responsible for so many direct reports.”
  • “My boss didn’t tell me that I was going to travel weekly with this new position.”

I feel such stress pouring out of these new leaders.  They are overwhelmed and don’t feel that they can do anything about this.  Let’s face it, most of us will NOT turn down a chance for a promotion.  First of all the company will not be impressed if we say, ‘NO” for what ever reason we give to them.  Plus we could be even more frustrated if we turn down a promotion because that could be the stepping stone that we are looking for our own success.… [Continue reading]

Contact Joyce

Email: joyce@joyceweiss.com
Phone: 248-681-5831